Look Underneath the Underneath
by Smiles Hides Tears
Summary: What if it was Naruto who left? During the Chunin exams, Naruto finds himself becoming more and more irritated by the second. When he finally decides to leave, what is Konoha going to do? Narutox? List of bashing inside. Yaoi
1. Prolouge

**Kat: Hello there! Welcome to my wonderful fanfiction! Sakura bashing and Sasuke torture galore!**

**Sasuke/Sakura: HEY!!!!!**

**Kat: -kicks them out of the conversation- Get out! You're not welcome here! Hmph, stupid brats. I hate them! IHATETHEMIHATETHEMIHATETHEM!!!!!**

**Naruto: -whistles- Wow, nice toss. Wait, you're not going to kick me out, too, are you?**

**Kat: No way! -glomps- I love you! Well, I love Shikamaru more, but I love you too!**

**Naruto: -sighs- Well, this is strange. Girls usually hit me, not hang on me. Oh well. -ahem- Kat does not own any of the characters displayed in this story in any way, shape, or form. She wants to, but, if she did, then...well, I would feel very sorry for Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme. **

**Kat: I wouldn't.**

**Naruto: Of course not.**

_**Warnings: Kat despises Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, and the villagers, meaning that they're going to suffer. Any fans better turn tail and depart, because, although flames amuse me, I don't want too many. Constructive crit. I can live with.**_

* * *

Naruto was annoyed. 

He was annoyed with this village, he was annoyed with his teammates, he was annoyed with his favoritist of a sensei, and did he already mention that he was annoyed with his teammates?

Let's start at the beginning. The villagers were all total and complete morons. They hated him for something that he never did. Hell, he was probably no more than a few minutes old when the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune within his body. Still, did they care? Nope. Not at all. Sometimes, he hears them wish he were never born. Pfft, if he wasn't born, then it would be another child with the fox sealed inside of them. If they couldn't find one young enough, then, well, there wouldn't be any Konoha, now would there?

Still, let them glare. Let them hate. Let them take out their frustrations on him. If he fought back, then the council would say the demon was resurfacing and he would most likely be killed. That would not do. There were still so many things that he had to do.

Now, on to his teammates. The useless avenger who knows nothing but following the orders his elder brother left him with, and a weak little girl whose sole purpose for being a ninja was to get close to the Uchiha, and possibly get them all killed in the process. She was smart, he would giver her _that_, at the very least, plus she had good chakra control. Still, she was weak. If she got her head out of the clouds and keep her hands from trying to wander into her crush's pants, then he had little doubt that she could grow into a great konouchi.

Then there was Uchiha Sasuke. He was strong, talented, and completely, utterly, stupid. Naruto didn't give a flying fuck that he was the 'Rookie of the Year', that bastard was either going to get himself, or the entire village killed with his damnable lust for revenge! If he was so damn smart, shouldn't he know very well that his impatience to get stronger would only cause him to get weaker! Between overworking and overestimating himself, Naruto would be completely surprised if he even slightly manages to get as strong as Iruka!

Well, then there was Kakashi. He internally refused to acknowledge that hypocritical waste of flesh as his sensei. "Those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash." "Look underneath the underneath", wow did he have a lot of quotes that he himself refuses to follow. Like a parent who tells their kids not to smoke, and then lights a cigarette five seconds later. Kakashi didn't care about his team as a whole. Just Sasuke. It's always been, and has always been about Sasuke. Why else was Kakashi assigned to Team Seven? Sasuke. Naruto knew very well that Kakashi requested not to have him on the team. After all, who would want to have to teach the dead last?

Well, Naruto was very glad he wasn't really the dead last, otherwise Kakashi's negligence would have really pulled him down. You see, since he would rather not be killed because of the assumption that the Kyuubi was resurfacing, he had held himself back. He knew if he tried, he could probably beat that pathetic Uchiha with his eyes closed and his hands tied behind his back. Naruto had trained himself. He got scrolls and books that listed various training techniques. Because he had to do it by himself, and not with the help of a sensei, it took a lot longer and it wasn't perfect, but he did it. He even trained when no one was watching. Hell, the Kyuubi himself even helped him train, in exchange for a better-looking cage. In his mindscape, the Kyuubi no had a field to do whatever in, but there was a door to his sewer-like mind and a bracelet around Kyuubi's wrist with the kanji for 'Seal'. All in all, Naruto's jutsu arsenal and strength in each area of Jutsu was pretty impressive for a meatsack, according to Kyuubi.

He knew that Kakashi, anybody, really, would see that he had a mask if they really tried to see. If they tried to see _Naruto_. Not that bastard fox, not just as the vessel of it, and definitely not as the dead last.

Well, that was enough thinking for now. Naruto may not be stupid, but he didn't like thinking too much unless he absolutely had to. He sighed and stretched. Tomorrow, they would be entering the Chunin exams. He knew that the only way his team could participate was if all three of them agreed to. Kakashi mostly told us that we could refuse if we wanted to for Sakura's sake, but there was no way she was going to miss a chance to 'prove' herself. Hopefully she could at least keep herself alive for the first two parts, those were the team-based exams. After that, she could die for all he cared.

**_We may as well begin your training while your body rests for the exams._**

_Right. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my gut that something bad is going to happen. I may need your help if it is true, Kyuubi-sensei. _

**_I see that your senses are beginning to advance. That's good. I will help you, but if, and only if, the situation calls for it. The most I can do to help you with your exams is heal you. That is all. _**

_I understand, sensei. If I can't pass this exam on my own strength, then I would not be able to accept the title of Chunin with pride. _

**_That's my kit. Now, return to your apartment and we will begin your training. Since you mastered the controlling of Foxfire, I believe that I can teach you a technique that will greatly benefit you in your exams. _**

At the thought of a new jutsu, Naruto jumped to his feet and ran as fast as he could, without raising suspicion from wandering eyes, to his apartment. There he went into bed and his body slept.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw himself in the middle of a green field. Trees scattered the area and a large lake added to the near-perfect scenery. He looked around and then wandered to a tree that was by the lake. He looked up, and saw a man.

This man was lying lazily on a branch. His long, crimson hair flowed over his shoulders and orange eyes looked down at the blond, who was nearly pouting with impatience.

"Sensei! What about my new technique?" The demon smirked before jumping down from the branch.

"Who do you think you're talking to, kit?" He demanded, glaring. However, Naruto didn't back down. He glared back up at the demon lord, not affected by the death-glare being given.

"I think I'm talking to a lazy demon who did nothing but complain about cramped lodgings, so I give him a field and he refuses to do anything but sleep on that same branch!" The glaring match continued, with neither backing down. That wasn't until the Kyuubi smirked again and flicked Naruto's forehead.

"You're getting better, brat. Pretty soon, no amount of killing intent will freeze you up. Now, it's time to get started. Come on now." He began walking to a large area in the field that had seals surrounding it. It was Kyuubi's idea to make it so that there wasn't too much damage on the scenery. There were probably certain parts leading to Naruto's very mind, meaning that any damage to it could cause major damage. After they had scouted the area a million times, he determined that area to be safe and created a barrier to prevent chakra from leaving it, meaning any attacks with chakra didn't escape either.

"Well then, shall we?" The demon asked, getting into a stance only known to the users of Foxfire, a lost element that vanished after demons and humans were separated. The two were just going to spar first, to get the chakra flowing for whatever technique Kyuubi was going to teach him.

"I'm ready, sensei." With a smirk, they began.

* * *

**Kat: Well, there you have it. This isn't going to follow the storyline to the dot, but I was wondering if you want to keep the fighting the same? I want Naruto and Lee to battle in the finals, so I was planning on changing things around a bit.**

**And I will open up pairings poll in the third chapter, after I get all the potential candidates sorted through and expose you to it. I don't want you to vote on the pairing because you think it's cute, I want you to vote because it fits with the story. Give some suggestions. I don't care what the pairing is, as long as it isn't SasuNaru, and it's not MxF, got it?**

**Ideas are appreciated, compliments gets cookies, crit. gets my eternal gratitude, flames will be laughed at and used to roast marshmellows.**

**Next chapter:**

**Naruto: Looks like the start of the Chunin exams. Great, just what I need. A bunch of superficial morons who come here with their ego completely inflated. No wonder why it's so crowded in here. Wait...what's that guy staring at?**

**Neji: I can see your mask. I just can't see what's under it.**

**Naruto: Whoa! Weird. Well, may as well just play my part. Hmm, well he looks strange. And he smells like a snake. I think I have to watch out, that bad feeling is back again. **

**Kyuubi: Talk to him, Kit.**

**Naruto: Ugh, fine. Well, let's see what's going on, next time on **_**Look Underneath the Underneath**_


	2. It begins

**Kat: Hey! I'm back!**

**Naruto: I can't wait, I can't wait! Kat is going to make me cool! Whoo! Look at this! I'm smart, and I'm calculating, and I'm-**

**Kat: Hush, you! You'll spoil the whole chapter! Well, while I believe I could have done better with this, especially the conversation between Naruto and a certain character, but, you get what you get. Man, I really hate Team Seven (excluding Naruto) in this! ARGH!!! I WANNA POUND THEM INTO THE DIRT!!!!!!! RAWWWWWWWWWWRRR!!!!**

**Naruto: Well...anyways, while she's out murdering plushies, why don't you start reading?**

* * *

"All right, then. Who here is _not_ going to participate?" Kakashi asked when the four of them met again in front of the exam area. He looked between Sakura and Naruto, knowing that Sasuke would most definitely participate, but neither of them rose their hands. "Good! Because if any of you did, then none of you would get to participate!" 

"WHAAAAT?!" Both Sakura and Naruto cried, obviously infuriated. Sure, Naruto had already known this, but he had to keep up the act.

"Kakashi-sensei! Why didn't you tell us?!" He demanded, jumping up furiously. Kakashi sweatdropped at the sight of his students looking at him like they were planning on making the rest of his life hell, which they probably would have.

"Look, if I told you that, then the three of you would feel _obligated_ to participate. Taking the exams because you didn't want to let your teammates down is just going to get you killed. The reason I made it seem like one could go if the others didn't want to is so that you could evaluate yourself and know for sure you're ready, got it? Besides, it wouldn't be worth it anyhow. If any of you die in the first two parts, well, the entire team fails. Simple as that. Now, get in there before you're late." He said and then poofed away.

_He could have told us that part. Sakura is definitely not ready. She's too blinded by her obsession that she's probably going to get us all killed. _

**_She would have participated anyways. As long as that Uchiha is taking it, she's going to be right there following after him like a bitch in heat._**

Naruto sighed at the truthfulness of that statement. They were going to fail, weren't they?

"What are you sighing about? Scared that you're going die?" Sakura said with a sneer before going over to Sasuke and asking if they could go out on a date once the two of them pass the exams. Since no one was looking, they didn't notice the twitch in Naruto's eye.

"That didn't even make any sense." He muttered to himself before following his team into the building.

The three walked up three flights of stairs and then Naruto was hit was a thick feeling of chakra. Usually, if something was wrong, the Kyuubi would say what it was, seeing as there was little that could get past the fox, even within the seal. But he was silent. That meant this was part of the exams!

"Hey! Let us in!"

"Come on, we're here to take the exams!"

"Move out of the way!"

"No!" Two people who appeared to be in their age range were standing in front of the door marked '301'. Blue eyes looked suspiciously at the two. They were older than their genjutsu made them appear. He looked over at his teammates, hoping that they caught the jutsu, but, apparently, not. So he sighed, and started his act.

"Hey! What's going on?" He yelled, causing all eyes to be on him. Sasuke sighed at his stupidity and Sakura knocked him over the head and called him an idiot.

"We can't let you in. You're all going to die." One said with his arms crossed.

"We're here to take the exams, and, damnit, we're going to take it!" a random gennin snapped. Naruto crossed his arms and fumed before grinning and turning back to his teammates.

"Hey! Hey! Maybe we can go to the next floor and, I don't know, smash a hole into the room!" He whispered with an excited look.

"Baka! That will never work!" Sakura snarled, making him pout in despair. Sasuke sighed again, but the suggestion gave him an idea.

"Let's go. We'll walk down the wall from there." He said and turned to go up the next flight of stairs.

"Great idea, Sasuke-kun! You're so smart!" Sakura giggled and practically flew after the Uchiha. With he back turned, Naruto sneered and walked after her with an extremely disgusted look.

He didn't realize that a pair of pearl eyes was watching after him.

"Did you see that?" Neji asked his two teammates. They had already figured out the genjutsu, but he noticed the blond whispering and he became interested.

"That's Uzumaki Naruto. He's the dead last of his year. But what was with that look? I heard he was supposed to be some hyperactive, smiley idiot." Tenten whispered while Lee was looking after Sakura with starry eyes.

"Who is that beauty? I think that I will make her my girlfriend!" He said dreamily. Tenten rolled her eyes, but noticed that Neji continued to focus on the blond boy.

"What is it?" she asked.

"He noticed the genjutsu from the moment he entered the room. He came up with a plan to get them into this room, but his intention was to get them to the floor above. He made it sound stupid, but gave the foundations for the Uchiha to come up with the same idea, with a different entry plan." Tenten looked back at the blond boy, but then she shook her head and looked back at her teammate.

"Neji, I think you're reading too much into it. It was probably a fluke, there's no way he could have sensed genjutsu." The three of them continued on without another word, but Neji couldn't help but smirk. He could tell there was something interesting hidden within that boy, but not even his Byakugan could see within the mask the blond has created.

Things were going to get _very_ interesting in these exams.

Meanwhile, Team Seven made it up to the next floor when Sakura noticed the numbers by the doors. "Look at those numbers! They're the same as the ones below!"

_Point for the banshee. Now let's see if our second contestant can catch up._ Naruto thought in a game-show-host type tone.

"I see, that was a genjutsu down there. It was probably to prevent the weaklings from participating in the exams." Sasuke said as he held his chin in thought.

_He's got it! Let's see what he has won!_

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, you must have seen it right away! That's why you made it seem like a secret way in so that no one else would figure it out! You're so cool!"

_An attachable fangirl! What a prize! Only available in Konohagakure and will only attach to the last, weakest, and youngest member of the Uchiha- _

**_WILL YOU STOP IT?! _**

_But it's so much fun!_

Naruto held back a laugh as they continued towards the true exam room. As they did however, there was a poof, and Kakashi stood there in front of the doors.

"Yo." He said, his visible eye crinkling up to show he was smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto demanded, and the silver haired man sighed in annoyance.

"Be quiet, Naruto. Well, I have to say I'm impressed. Not many see past the genjutsu on their first try, but it seems that all three of this years' rookie team made it past." He said, crossing his arms.

"It's all because of Sasuke. He's the one who saw it!" Sakura giggled as she continued to cling onto the thoroughly annoyed Uchiha. Naruto pouted and looked at her with watery eyes.

"But, Sakura-chan! I'm the one who said we should come upstairs." He whined, which earned a raised eyebrow from Kakashi and a glare from Sakura.

"Oh, yeah right, like a loser like you could see the genjutsu. It was a complete and total fluke that you even thought of coming upstairs!" She turned with a 'hmph' and waterfalls of tears fell from Naruto's eyes.

"Okay, okay, enough. Need I remind you that the exams will start soon? Get inside before you're disqualified." With another 'poof', Kakashi vanished. Naruto looked at the spot where he once was and then back at the doors.

"All right! Let's go!" He walked forward as Sakura and Sasuke, who were on either side of him, pushed them open.

"Whoa…"

Dozens of pairs of eyes glared at them, all were scrutinizing them, trying to see if they were worth worrying about. Naruto felt his breath hitch at the weight of the air around them. These were the real deal. They were all so tense. He could sense that they would kill everyone here if they had the chance to! He felt excitement bubbling within him. So this was the Chunin exam? It felt like it was going to be a lot of fun.

**_Hmm…looks like the exams already started… _**

_What do you mean, sensei? _

**_You feel the atmosphere, correct? The pressure of this exam is enough to make any weak-minded fool turn tail and run. However, it doesn't seem to have any affect on people too stupid to feel it._**

That was made true by a cry of 'Sasuke-kun' and a blond thing hung itself off of said male's neck. Naruto, hidden behind them, felt his eye twitch. This was going to be worse than he expected it to be. Wonderful.

"Oh, I've missed you sooo much. Did that forehead freak hurt you? I can kiss it better if you'd like." The 'thing' said with a girlish giggle.

"GET OFF OF HIM PIG!!!" Sakura cried. As those two argued, Naruto tried to sort through the scents in the room. Kakashi was right. The nine who managed to become Genin were there. He was going to stop himself from smelling out the room when he noticed a very distinct scent that caught the attention of the Kyuubi.

**_Snake…_**

Sure, a snake wasn't too big of a deal, but foxes and snakes have never gotten along, so of course he would notice.

"My gosh what a bunch of brats. Will you just shut up?" The scent of snake became stronger and Naruto turned to the source. A silvery-haired male who was probably over five years older than they were. There was something strange about that scent of snake, but Naruto decided to leave that for later.

"Eh? Who are you? What do you want?" He demanded, quite loudly too. He attracted quite a lot of glares, but he either didn't notice, or didn't care. The boy frowned at the rude newbie. Loud brats. At first glance anybody could tell that these were fresh-out-the-academy, easy targets.

"The name's Kabuto, not that it's any of your business. Here's some advice. Keep your mouth shut, not that it's going to do you any good. Everyone here has already chosen you to be the easiest targets." The Rookie Nine looked around them, and saw that there were a lot of glares directed at them, and also a bunch of smirks. Naruto had already known about all this, but he looked for the hell of it. That's when his eyes landed on a redhead, who was one of the smirking ones. However, that smirk was a bit different.

**_Looks like the vessel of the Shukaku is here, and he's checking you out. _**

Naruto chose to ignore the last comment and focused on the smirking redhead. The vessel of the one-tailed Tanuki demon, huh? That was interesting.

"Gaara, what are you looking at?" Seafoam eyes glared at the Suna nin standing next to him, which caused him to recoil. Naruto decided to turn away, now knowing at least the name of this vessel.

_Shukaku, huh? Wait a second, isn't he supposed to be insane?! _

**_Pretty much. He's probably giving his vessel some peace, though. He may be crazy, but he's not stupid. He knows that I'm here and that we have a compromise. Meaning his ass will be kicked if he tries to mess with us. _**

_Hmm, he's probably trying to plan out what to do if they come into conflict with us. Kabuto and Gaara…hmm, I need to have a talk with them both when I get the chance. _

**_Allies? Not a bad idea. But speak to Kabuto first. Try thinking a bit and you might figure out who that smell belongs to. _**

The blond raised an eyebrow and turned to Kabuto, who was showing off his Shinobi Skill cards.

_Snake boy…hold on a second, are you telling me that he's with Orochimaru?! _

Blue eyes widened. He had come in contact with Orochimaru when he was younger. The man had helped him with a few villagers that had chased him out of the village. He tried to get him to go with him, but they were found by ANBU and the man managed to escape. Later, Naruto discovered that he was the snake sannin Orochimaru, a traitor to the leaf village who was determined to destroy the village.

"Wow! Those are cool!" The silver haired boy looked up at the blond doofus who was looking at him admirably. Kabuto rolled his eyes and sighed. Really, it was only his loyalty that restrained him from ripping those lips and teeth out. The stupid grin was getting on his nerves. "Hey, come over here! I wanna ask you about somebody!"

Before the silver-haired male could object, Naruto grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the room. There was still about fifteen minutes until the beginning of the exam, so it wouldn't take a lot of time. Still, Kabuto didn't know if he could stand being with this boy without killing him. That wouldn't be good. He needed to make sure they make it to the second part of the exam, or he'll be in trouble.

"So, how can I help you, Naruto-kun?" He asked with a gentle smile, but then something surprising happened. The grin vanished and a sneer took its place. Those blue orbs that were sparkling with excitement and mischief had hardened and turned cold. If he didn't know better, Kabuto would probably say he was facing Naruto's evil twin brother, or something.

"You reek of snake." He said simply. Kabuto's eyes widened in innocent curiosity, as if he was clueless of what he was talking about. However, inside, he was wondering if he really would have to kill this boy and send a bunshin in his place. It wouldn't do for him to expose whatever it was he knew. Even a little hint would be enough to ruin everything.

"Why, I don't know what you mean. I suppose we did come in contact with a snake or two on our way here, but nothing serious, just the ones in one of my teammate's garden." He shrugged, and Naruto scowled.

"Oh, cut the crap. I know very well you're in league with Orochimaru." At this, Kabuto's eyes hardened and he glared at the gennin before him. Who was this boy? Kabuto had information on every gennin in this exam. Uzumaki Naruto is supposed to be an idiot, a happy, hyperactive, orange-wearing, ramen obsessed idiot! So, unless somebody told him about it, then he wouldn't be able to figure out a thing…right?

"Well, at least the glare on you tells me I was correct. I wonder what the Snake Sannin would want from lil' old Konoha, other than it's destruction." Naruto turned his back on Kabuto and put a finger to his chin in innocent thought, although the Snake Lacky could tell it wasn't innocent at all.

"If what I read up on him is correct, he is seeking immortality. Seeing as keeping his own body from aging is pretty much impossible unless you have a large amount of chakra that can stably heal aging cells 24/7, which only the tailed demons have. So, I'm guessing he figured out how to keep himself young by putting himself within the body of a younger host, am I correct?" Naruto turned to Kabuto, a smug smirk in place, but he didn't wait for the elder male to reply, he just continued on.

"Oh, and I am pretty sure Orochimaru is pretty keen on bloodlines. Seeing as Sharingan surpasses even the Byakugan in many aspects, the great Snake Sannin must want it. Also, since it is very well known that Uchiha Itachi is _much_ more powerful than he is, Orochimaru will stimulate Uchiha Sasuke's lust for revenge, lulling him into a false sense of security that he will get the power he desires by giving himself to the snake. Before said snake uses his body, at least. Am I getting warmer?" He looked at Kabuto, the same childish brightness in his eyes. Still, now that he exposed his true face, the brightness only made Kabuto even more wary of him.

This boy, obviously, was a master of masks. He knew Naruto's reputation, and he knew that the reputation stayed with him for years, ever since he was a small child. If that was his true face, cold, calculating, then he has had the entire village fooled, including the Hokage, for nearly a decade. That, in itself, was admirable. And, considering the current state of their plan, it was dangerous.

Still, considering the blond was exposing his knowledge, he wanted something. So he may as well figure it out. "As much as I should not say this, you are, in fact, right on the dot, Naruto-kun. Which brings me to question who you are. You can't possibly be the idiot that failed the preliminary of the gennin exams three times in a row."

Naruto smirked. Yes, Kabuto was smart. He knew that he wanted something. Good, it wouldn't do for him to try and kill him because he knew all of this. "I am who I am. It's not my fault I live in a village of blind fools who cannot even notice the monster that they, themselves, have created. You know about the Kyuubi, that, I am certain of, but did you know that, since the day I was born, I was hated and abused? No, I'm not trying to get you to pity me. Just letting you know how much it would benefit me _not_ to expose you and your master. Still, it wouldn't take too much for me to claim I was practicing sensing chakra, and I noticed that there were a few snakes who had more chakra than other snakes that were in the forest."

"So, you desire a deal. Something from us to pay for your silence." Oh, Orochimaru was not going to like this. Killing the blond, who was very well liked by the Hokage, was not a good idea. Sasuke would no doubt be using his Sharingan sometime in the exam, and he would notice if Kabuto made a bunshin. There was a chance he wouldn't, but it was too low for his liking. If the Third knew that Naruto had been killed before the really dangerous exam started, then there would be suspicions when it was fairly easy to cancel, or postpone the exams. Their only option was to go through with the deal, depending on what the blond demanded.

"Pretty much. Oh, don't look at me like that, it's not like I'm asking you for money or power. All I ask is that you don't attack my teammates in a way that could be fatal until after the second exam. Afterwards, do whatever the hell you want and, if it involves Konoha's destruction, I'll even lend a hand. Like, say, accidentally dropping a map of every nook and cranny in this hellhole. So?"

Kabuto pondered this. An alley? Not to mention the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And even a map. That would be a huge help. Sure, Orochimaru was born here as well, but it made more sense that someone who was abused, as Naruto claimed he was, would be adept at escaping. Something that would be worth more since their most recent map was that of ten years ago.

"I will speak with him about it. But I should warn you, Naruto-kun. If you have a hidden agenda, then you will regret it. Since you are obviously a lot more powerful and intelligent then you let on, then we have no way of identifying your exact level of power, or your strengths and weaknesses. Still, there is more than one way to break a shinobi like you."

"Is that a threat?"

"More or less."

Naruto scrutinized the silver haired male, who was smiling his false, gentle smile, and then he slapped on a fox grin. "You know, Kabuto-san, I think we're going to get along pretty well. Now let's go before we're late and disqualified. That wouldn't help either of us."

Kabuto watched as they entered the room again, where Naruto fell behind, declaring his 'coolness' and a lot more other loud things that was making his ears bleed. The pink haired girl scolded him harshly, while the rest either scowled or insulted him (other than that weird Hyuuga girl and the silent bug user). He watched the blond carefully.

Even knowing it was all an act, Kabuto was fooled for half a second. It was just that convincing. Yes, Uzumaki Naruto would be an interesting study.

Still…

"You know, cute blonds shouldn't make so much noise." He said with a smile. Naruto looked at him in real shock, while Ino blushed and Sakura fumed.

"Aw…sorry, but you're not my type." She said with a giggle. "My heart is only for _you_, Sasuke-kun!"

"And you're not mine. I'm talking about this cute blond." He said cheerfully while poking Naruto's nose. He sputtered and everyone else stared at Kabuto with wide eyes.

"DON'T CALL ME CUTE, JERK!!!" He yelled loudly, pounding Kabuto's back, although they had the strength of an academy student's.

Yes, he was going to be a lot of fun to tease, potential enemy or not.

* * *

**Kat: There you go!**

**Naruto: -Looking at a mountain of burning plushies- Ugh, that thing is putting off fumes...**

**Kat: Well that explaines my quality of writing in this chapter! Okay, pairings poll will be up next chapter. As you can see, KabuNaru is a possibility as well as NejiNaru and GaaraNaru. Yes, Naruto will be the uke. I can't see him as anything else (although NaruSasu is suddenly becoming appealing, no matter how I hate Sasuke...).**

**And people still haven't given me their input on the fighting! Do you want to keep it all the same, or may I have permission to face Lee off with Naruto in the final round?!**

**Next Chapter:**

**Naruto: What the hell? A written exam? Man this guy is too obvious. And that stupid Kabuto and his stupid teasing. Maybe I should tell the old man! It would serve him right!!!!**

**Kyuubi: -sighs- This brat needs to get used to it. The more people find out about his mask, the more will become attracted to him. The snake lacky, both Hyuuga brats, hell, even the Uchiha is becoming attracted...hold on a second, HANDS OFF MY KIT, YOU!!!**

**Naruto: GAH! What the hell? That bastard was...WHAT THE HELL?!**

**Kyuubi: Grr, I am going to kill him! I'll tear off his arms and shove them up his -continues ranting on random torture techniques-**

**Naruto: Whoa, sensei's pissed. I wonder what he'll do? Find out, next time on _Look Underneath the Underneath!_**


	3. What a bunch of wimps

**Kat: All right, I'm back. As you probably already figured, I disabled the anonymous reviews. I love you guys, but I don't want double voting on the polls.**

**Naruto: People who read this, you'll notice her preview was pretty much wrong about this chapter. She's going ****to stop the previews, seeing as she has to think twice as hard to get what she said she was going to do into the chapter. **

**Kat: Blech, leave me alone! **

**Oh, and Sasuke fans! Guess what. EMO boy may have a chance to shine. Look below for how that is possible!

* * *

**Naruto was still fuming, sitting in the corner and grumbling while sending as much killer intent as he could to the silver-haired teen. Since many found Naruto annoying and not even remotely attractive, he isn't really used to flirty-teasing. So, of course he would be beyond pissed. This was an attack he wasn't ready for, and he didn't like that one bit. 

"Jeeze, if that was all you had to do to get him to shut up, we should have done it a long time ago." Kiba said with a raised eyebrow. Shikamaru sighed as he got a headache from the girls trying to convince Kabuto that Naruto was, in no way, cute. Well, except for Hinata, but she was too shy to really do anything that loud.

"All right you brats, SHUT UP!!!" There was a large puff of smoke and Naruto looked up to see the proctors for the exams.

_Finally…_ He thought with a grumble. _I thought we wouldn't get any action at all!_

**_Tch, typical, did you forget about the way the exams are set up? _**

Naruto thought about that. Two team-based exams and one-on-one for the finals, and, on occasion, the preliminaries for the finals. But what did that have to do with…oh…

_A written exam…a fuckin' written exam. Sensei, I truly think that whatever higher being up there is just trying to see how far I can be pushed before snapping…_

"I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the first exam." Naruto could sense the killer intent coming off like waves from this guy, causing many of the gennin to shiver in terror. He gulped, just for affect. "Here's a good time to let you brats know. There will be no fighting without permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, you will not be allowed to kill. The pigs that decide to disobey me will be failed immediately, got it?" Mostly out of fear, many of the gennins nodded obediently.

**_…._**

_Kyuubi-sensei? _

**_…CAN'T KILL?! WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF EXAM IS THIS?! Brat, I think you were born into a village of complete and utter sissies!_**

Naruto sighed as his sensei began grumbling and ranting about ninja exams that don't allow killing. The blond couldn't help but agree. They were ninjas, not some kind of television fighting team who avoid killing as much as possible.

"All right, take a number and sit where you're supposed to. Once everybody is seated, your exams will be handed out to you." A proctor took out a stack of papers and Naruto paused for a moment.

"WHAAAAAT?! A PAPER TEST?!" He cried loudly.

The gennins begrudgingly went to their assigned seats and Naruto slumped into his seat. He was starting to get a headache from Kyuubi's grumbling about horrible exams and how half the people here would get themselves killed the moment they get into real-world stuff.

"Naruto-kun…" He looked up and saw Hinata sitting next to him. Now, he knew the girl had a crush on him, but she was definitely not his type. She was a girl, after all.

"Hey there, Hinata-chan!" He said with a grin.

"Um…well…g-good luck…" She mumbled as she blushed and did that pointing thing with her fingers.

"Same to you!" He told her, sticking a thumb up. When he turned away, he stuck out his tongue in disgust over how nice he was acting.

_Look at him there…he has an aura of power I've never felt before. I want to fight him…_

_**NO! NO FIGHTING THE KYUUBI VESSEL, DO YOU WANT TO DIE YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL?!?!?!**_

Gaara groaned as the loud voice of 'Mother' echoed through the confines of his mind. He really liked that blond, and Gaara usually destroyed what he liked so that no one would take it away from him. Then again, he destroyed things he didn't like too, but that's not the point. Speaking of which, this was the first time the demon wasn't encouraging him to kill. In fact, it wanted to avoid coming in contact with the blond boy altogether. Fat chance of that happening. Still, maybe there was another way to approach this. Instead of killing the one he likes, why not kill those who might take him away? Like the boy and girl with white eyes or the boy with the glasses, or even that butterfly on the wall…yes…that butterfly was a big threat…

**_Maybe I should have listened to that fox when he warned me about driving my vessels insane…_** Shukaku sighed.

"All right brats, those are the rules, begin!"

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts and looked at the proctor. What rules?! He wasn't paying attention! Kyuubi wasn't talking to him, but, then again, the actual exams have started. He sighed and just figured the rules were the same as the usual test taking rules. No cheating, blah, blah, blah.

Of course, he was wondering why both Sakura and Sasuke were directing a good amount of killing intent towards him. Was he supposed to be doing something with them?

_Oh forget it. First question…_ Naruto looked at the question and it clicked. These questions were not for ordinary gennins. So, that must mean they had to cheat, and cheat well. Then there was the tenth question. He wondered what that was about.

_Well, I'll fix things up when that comes…for now…_The prankster in him pushed him forward and he smirked as he busily wrote on his paper.

Behind him, both Sakura and Sasuke's eyes were widening.

_But…Naruto's an idiot! These questions are too hard for him, but look at him! It looks like he knows all the answers…THAT IDIOT BETTER NOT BE CHEATING OR WE'RE DEAD!!!_ Sakura thought furiously. Many gennins also took note of Naruto's apparent knowledge and, those who were desperate or those who figured everything out already smirked and began their various techniques.

Naruto grinned and sat back. His work was done.

"WHAT?!"

"What kind of idiot…"

"Damn it!"

"Stupid freak!"

"Shut up you brats or every person who just spoke will be disqualified."

Naruto grinned at the death glares everyone who managed to cheat off of him was sending. It's their fault for cheating, although that was the true intention of the test. They just need to open their eyes and find the people they were supposed to be cheating off of.

_**Losers…**_

_I agree! Honestly, I know everyone's going to be pissed off at me, but cheating is the objective of this test. I'm doing them a favor by showing them that there are many unreliable sources out there._

**_Stop acting smart, Kit, your intention was to mess with them from the beginning and that was your only intention._**

Naruto inwardly snickered as he rocked his chair back and hummed lightly to himself. So what if he couldn't rip anybody apart yet? That didn't mean he couldn't mess with their heads a little. These pansies were probably too mad at him to stay focused on covering up their cheating. That was made obvious by the tossing of kunai left and right and the numbers of the cells that failed being called out.

Seeing as it was going to be a while before the last question, Naruto thought it would be a good idea to get some training in with his sensei. So he crossed his arms over the table and promptly fell asleep.

_That dobe…_Sasuke thought as he looked at his slumbering teammate. He honestly doubted the blond had gotten a single thing right, but there he was, sleeping without a care in the world. Hopefully, the final question wouldn't be too hard, because that was the last chance Naruto had to get at least one answer right. They were going to take this chunin exam. Sasuke had to see how strong he was compared to others around the world. If there is one person here he couldn't beat, then he would need to find a better and faster way to get stronger. Only then would he be able to face his elder brother.

"All right! Drop your pencils and listen closely!" The scratching of pencils stopped and the room became completely silent, save for the soft snoring of a certain blond ninja. Hinata tried to wake him up, but she blushed and turned away, too shy to even touch him.

_Damn that Naruto! He's going to get us disqualified!_ Inner Sakura shouted as she glared at her sad excuse for a teammate. Hopefully he would wake up soon, or they were done for!

"Now, brats, I'm going to add a few new rules for the next question. First rule is, you are allowed to reject the question. In doing so, all your team's points will be taken and you will fail." He said and paused, letting the information sink in.

"That's ridiculous! Who would want to do something like that?!" one random gennin cried. Ibiki snickered and looked up at them, the sadistic gleam in his eyes caused them to shiver.

"Because if you take the question and get it wrong…you will never be allowed to participate in the chunin exams for the rest of your life!" Sounds of outrage filled the room at this newest ruling.

"What?! I don't remember there being any kind of rule like that before!"

"Because I wasn't your proctor before. Unfortunately for you all, I am now. So, what's it going to be? Take the chance, or leave and hope that I'm not here next time. Make it now."

Silence reigned and the atmosphere thickened, wondering who would choose to leave first. It was a couple more seconds before a hand shakily went into the air.

"I-I'm sorry guys, but I can't do this!" the boy said, closing his eyes in hopes of not seeing his teammate's disappointment. After that, over a dozen more hands began rising and more people began to file out.

Ibiki's face was blank, but, inside, he was actually disappointed at how cowardly some of these gennins were. Plus, Anko won't have as much people as she wanted to torture. Then there was that sleeping boy. Maybe he was lucky not to have been awake, because, if what was said about him was true, he wouldn't have wanted to lose the chance to rise in the ranks.

"Kit, you should get up. I think it may be past the time for your little question."

Naruto was sitting on the lake, meditating. Crimson flames were dancing around him, but they immediately dispersed at Kyuubi's words. "Aw, shit!"

Outside his body, the only thing people were able to see was Naruto's body jolting before his head shot up from the table. He woke just in time to hear these words.

"All those who are here…you have just passed the first exam!"

Quiet…

"_WHAT?!" _

"But what about the tenth question?"

Ibiki laughed heartily, contradicting his terrifying attitude from before. "Oh, there was no question, besides the whole accept or reject thing."

Naruto was still trying to get his body to wake up, but he vaguely realized that something really unexpected had just happened and some people were getting pissed off at it. After Ibiki finished speaking, the blond girl from Suna stood up in outrage.

"So, what, the rest of the questions were completely pointless?!" She demanded angrily. Apparently she was a little pissed at going through all that trouble just to find out it was for nothing.

"No, those questions did have a point to them. You see, you brats don't seem to get what a ninja is. Strip away all the romanticized, fairy-tale crap, and you have weapons that do what they have to by any means. The questions on your paper were obviously too high-level for mere gennin, so, we made it seem like the only option was cheating. That part of the test was to see where you stood in your spying skills, something essential to the shinobi arsenal. People who spied sloppily aren't worth Chunin level and were kicked out. Get it?" It was silent, and people were beginning to reluctantly accept the reasoning behind this.

Naruto, meanwhile, was ready to go back to sleep. **_You know, Kit, I think that man's got on my 'OK' list._**

_Why, because of his speech on romanticizing? It was only given one sentence. _

_**Hey, he put his point across these pansies' faces. That's good enough for me!**_

_Sensei, I'm too tired to listen to your rants!_

Naruto and his tenant continued to bicker while Ibiki said some more words, took off his hat, put it on and said a few more words. Naruto sighed in annoyance. They got it already! He tricked them, he did it for a reason, could they start with the second part of the exams already?!

As if his prayers were being answered, a strange mass crashed through the window and kunai pinned a large cloth into the ceiling.

"Stop celebrating, kids, because you're second examiner has arrived, Mitarashi Anko! Let's go!" A strange woman declared loudly. There was an awkward pause and Ibiki peeked from behind her sign.

"Bad timing." She just gave him an annoyed look and examined those who were left in the room.

"54, that's 18 teams left. Not bad, but still too much! Ibiki, you went way to easy on these brats!" She scowled.

"Well, this year's batch is…interesting." His eyes wandered to Sasuke, which made Naruto inwardly growl. Everyone was so hung up on Sasuke! Stupid emo boy. She crossed her arms and 'hmph'ed, saying something about cutting the participants in half with her test. With a sadistic smirk, she beckoned them to follow her. The teams regrouped and Naruto was jumping around excitedly, grinning at how it was so awesome that they passed the test.

"The only reason _you_ passed was because you were asleep. Had you been awake, I'll bet you would have turned tail just as easily as the rest of them." Sasuke said with a superior look in his eyes. They all knew how much he wanted to become Hokage. That idiot would have rather lost his pride than his dream.

"Sasuke-kun's right, you're nothing but a coward, Naruto, so you should be thanking us!" Sakura turned and clung onto the Uchiha while Naruto put a finger into his mouth a bit down hard. It was taking everything he had not to kill the both of them now.

He turned and his eyes came in contact with Kabuto, who nodded and took a little detour. They had two hours to get to the test site, so he had enough time to speak with Orochimaru about their little agreement.

* * *

As the people were leaving the room, Ibiki went over the test papers. His goal was more towards the blond who was sleeping until he passed them. Although he, like every other jounin examiner there, had his sights set on Sasuke, there was something about his teammate that interested him. 

He noticed that a lot of the surrounding papers had eraser marks or pen scratches on the pages, but he aimed for that one sheet and read over it. He couldn't help a bewildered look as he read the answers.

_Hey there, all! I know you're cheating off of me, so I'm going to help my fellow shinobi by telling you the answers! But I can't just write the answers down willy-nilly. I have a jutsu made up and you all need to write exactly what I put for it to work. Trust me, you won't be sorry._

_1. I'm a moron._

_2. I'm so stupid I have to copy off the dead-last to pass._

_3. Look at me, I'm a bunny rabbit!_

And it just went on and on and on. So this was the Prankster of Konoha, eh? Make a few kids lose their tempers and they fail the test. Well, he was clever, he'll give him that.

* * *

Anko was looking at her watch. Just one more minute before she can close the gates on these brats. Still, there was only one more team that needed to come in, and they couldn't because one of their teammates wasn't with them. 

Oh well, one less team they'll have to deal with.

Unfortunately for her, a smiling Kabuto arrived and his team slipped in at the last possible second.

Needless to say, Orochimaru was _not_ pleased when he heard there was an unexpected development. One of the factors his plan counted on was the fact that both Uchiha Sasuke's teammates were complete and total idiots. Then the dead-last of the year comes out of nowhere and figures out his entire plan, all because he can _smell_! Damnit, he should have tried harder to take the boy away when he was younger.

Still, he was a bit more comforted when he learned Naruto wouldn't expose them, and possibly would even assist them, all for the condition that his teammates wouldn't die in the first two parts of the exam. Even so, he needed to give the Uchiha the curse seal during the second exam, but that wouldn't kill him. Exposure after that wouldn't really matter, but the assistance would be greatly appreciated, not that they couldn't go on without it.

"Okay, brats. Welcome to the second stage of the Chunin exams. The Forest of Death."

* * *

**All right, there ya go, and here's the options. **

**ItaNaru **

**KabuNaru **

**GaaNaru **

**NejiNaru **

**OroNaru **

**I am still up for reccomendations until the second chapter after this. **

**For Sasuke fans, I have a new favorite pairing with Naruto and Sasuke. If you like Sasuke, here's the option for you. **

**NaruSasu **

**Yes, I am now a SasUKE fan. So, if you want me to stop bashing him, vote for this! **

**And if you want me to do or stop doing things in this story, do tell me. Which means REVIEW!!!!!**


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